


Since we were seven

by themugwump



Category: Free!
Genre: Fluff, M/M, Romance, flustered makoto, post ep 14
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-04-21
Updated: 2015-04-21
Packaged: 2018-03-25 02:56:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,716
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3794044
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/themugwump/pseuds/themugwump
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Post ep 14. Makoto and Haru fluffiness basically.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Since we were seven

**Author's Note:**

  * For [unghthesoliloquy](https://archiveofourown.org/users/unghthesoliloquy/gifts).



> For the bethanator

Ai, Momo, Sousuke, Rin, Makoto, Haru, Nagisa and Rei all sat together, tired but happy. They watched as the evening events of Samezuka’s festival unfolded before them. Fairy lights lit up the night and the smell of roasting squid filled the air.

“Thank you for inviting us, Rin-chan!” Nagisa beamed  
“No problem, we’re glad you could come. Aren’t we, Sousuke?”  
Sousuke grunted in affirmation.  
“I hope you guys can come next year!!” piped up Ai.  
“Definitely!” Rei and Nagisa chorused together.  
“Will our senpais come back?” Ai looked at Rin and Sousuke imploringly.  
“Sure, we will” Rin answered for them both.  
“Makoto-chan and Haru-chan will come too!” declared Nagisa, “won’t you?” he added as an afterthought.  
“Of course, of course!” Makoto said reassuringly.

“It’s so good to talk to Sou-chan at last!”  
“Yes, especially as we swim butterfly together” added Rei.  
Sousuke looked over, nonplussed ‘you could’ve talked to me whenever you wanted.” Nagisa smiled beatifically then turned to Rei, to discuss the unfairness of Rei’s booby trap. “You were already out!!! It didn’t really count!!”  
“Don’t fight!” cried Makoto. Haru watched them, a small smile tugged at his lips.

Rin nudged Sousuke, and whispered something in his ear. Sousuke grinned.  
Then he looked over at Haru and Makoto, “Anyway, I meant to ask how long have you two been dating?”

Makoto immediately went bright red and started spluttering incoherently.  
Haru, however answered coolly “Since we were seven.”  
Sousuke lifted his eyebrows in surprise. So did Rin. And Nagisa. And Rei.  
They all turned to stare at Makoto and Haru.  
“OH I KNEW IT!!!” began Nagisa.  
“Fuck.” said Rin, handing over 500 yen to Sousuke.  
“WHAAAAAAAA????!?!?!!?” Makoto stared at Haru in complete bewilderment.  
“You remember don’t you? I told you I’d marry you.” stated Haru with complete conviction.  
“BUT WE WERE SEVEN?!?!?!”  
Haru shrugged, “What’s your point?” then his eyes narrowed “Why? Don’t you want to be engaged to me anymore?”  
Rin was watching them avidly, then caught sight of Nagisa doing the same thing and abruptly stopped.

Makoto looked like a rabbit in headlights. He opened his mouth then closed it. Then opened it again. He looked like a goldfish. His ears were redder than Rin’s hair.

“WELL ANYWAY, AI AND MOMO AND SOUSUKE NEED TO CLEAN UP NOW!” declared Rin very loudly, standing up.  
“YES WE WILL HELP YOU!” said Rei equally as loudly trying to wrench Nagisa away.  
“Why? I thought we did that?” said Nagisa unhelpfully.  
“Well. There’s MORE.” growled Rin through gritted teeth.  
“OH! RIGHT! YES!” exclaimed Nagisa, cottoning on.  
“We’ll help too!” began Makoto hopefully.  
“No you won’t.” said Sousuke with quiet finality.  
“I won’t?”  
“You won’t.” Sousuke repeated  
“Oh.”

When they were alone, Haru turned to Makoto “Are you hungry? Because I feel like mackerel.”  
“WAIT, WE’RE NOT EVEN GOING TO TALK ABOUT THIS??”  
“What’s there to talk about?” asked Haru, nonplussed.  
“But-but, we’re… you’re not serious???” spluttered Makoto “I didn’t even know you were gay?? I don’t even know I’m gay?? I mean we haven’t even kissed?? I didn’t even realise?? Like I mean, are you sure you know like, I mean, um, the consequences, maybe? of this???” Makoto babbled, turning redder and redder.  
Haru looked at Makoto thoughtfully as he kept babbling. Haru noted the way Makoto’s Adam’s apple was bobbing up and down as he spoke, the way Makoto’s pulse almost stood out on his neck, the way his hands moved and shook as he gesticulated. He was perfect.  
Makoto was still going - “I mean we sleep over all the time, if I’d-”  
Haru kissed him.

It didn’t really work. Mostly because Makoto wasn’t expecting it and pulled back out of shock.  
“Oh my God! Haru! What???” Makoto was beyond flustered. Haru felt slightly flushed too actually.  
“You seemed to think we needed to kiss.” stated Haru logically.  
“Well, yeah, um, right, so, we’re like… we’re boyfriends. Right.”  
Haru looked at Makoto like he was a moron, “No. We’re engaged. Obviously.”  
Makoto let out an involuntary squeak.  
Haru got to his feet, and held out his hand to Makoto. “Anyway, aren’t you hungry?”  
Makoto took his hand and stood up.  
“Just. Wait a second.” Haru waited, looking up at Makoto’s red face. Makoto shifted from foot to foot, then he seemed to make a decision.  
He lent down and brushed his lips on Haru’s. 

Haru clung to him, and kissed back, his lips warm on Makoto’s.

When they broke apart, Haru was looking thoughtful again. He looked up at Makoto. “You were right. We should kiss more often.” And taking Makoto’s hand led him toward the mackerel stall. 

 

Haru elbowed his way through he crowds, still holding onto Makoto’s hand. The Samezuka festival was still crawling with people, jostling them as Makoto clung tight to Haru’s hand. Finally they made it to the counter. 

“Can we have two mackerel sticks please?” asked Haru.

The Samezuka boy manning the till took his order. The smell of mackerel filled Haru’s nostrils and he sniffed happily, glancing over at Makoto. Makoto smiled back but Haru could feel Makoto’s sweaty hand was shaking, Haru squeezed it.

“Here you are,” said the Samezuka boy handing them the mackerel sticks.  
“Thanks!” smiled Makoto before Haru plunged them back into the crowd.

“Do you want to go up the hill?” shouted Haru, as they were jostled by a woman shoving takoyaki into her mouth. “-It’s too crowded here!” Makoto nodded before Haru began pulling him toward the path leading away from Samezuka.

Makoto couldn’t think straight. I mean, yes he couldn’t imagine not being with Haru. But he thought he’d been alone in his feelings for so long, was so sure Haru didn’t feel the same way. He was completely bowled over. He looked at the back of Haru’s head, the nape of his neck, his silky black hair. He felt the way Haru’s hand held his, strong and firm and warm. Suddenly he felt light-headed and his hands were shaking again.

Splat. His mackerel hit the ground.  
“Oh no! I’m so sorry Haru!”  
Haru looked at the mackerel lying on the ground, and then looked at Makoto’s distraught face. He shrugged, “you can have some of mine when we get to the top.”  
The path stretched out before them, empty. 

This time when Haru took his hand, it wasn’t because he needed to pull Makoto through the crowd. He just held it, walking beside him, lighly brushing shoulders with each step. Makoto could hear his heartbeat thrumming in his ears.

 

They looked out over Iwatobi together, sharing Haru’s mackerel. Makoto carefully ate a piece before passing it back.

“Are you okay?” asked Haru, concerned. Makoto’s ears were still red, although his blush had receded slightly.  
“I’m FINE!” exclaimed Makoto unconvincingly, his hands shaking more then ever.  
“You’re not. If you don’t want to be engaged to me you can just tell me.”  
Makoto swallowed and looked away. Haru ate the last piece of mackerel.

“You forgot.” said Haru shrewdly.  
“No! No I remember! I just – I didn’t realise, that, well, you, still remembered.” Makoto finished in a small voice.  
“Oh. But I thought it was obvious.”  
“We haven’t talked about this since we were seven! And besides you went to AUSTRALIA. With RIN.” reminded Makoto, exasperated.  
“Right…” said Haru, still not following.   
“Well, I thought you wanted him. Not me.” said Makoto in an even smaller voice.  
“That’s stupid. All I did in Australia was think about you.” Haru stated baldly. Makoto looked at him in surprise. Haru flushed and looked away.  
“I wish you wouldn’t do that.” Makoto told him suddenly.  
“What?”  
“When I’m talking to you, you always turn your head away.”  
“Oh.” Haru rubbed the back of his neck and looked out over the ocean “Look, sometimes… sometimes you’re just too you.”  
“I’m too me?” asked Makoto, perplexed. Haru was still looking away.  
“Yes. And I can’t look at you because then I can’t think.” Haru felt his face heat up, he glanced over to see Makoto blushing to the roots of his hair.

“You’re not joking…” said Makoto wonderingly.  
Haru sighed, exasperated. “I love you, and you love me, and I don’t know why you’re so confused about that right now.” Haru threw the finished mackerel stick over the cliff, then he made the mistake of glancing over at Makoto.  
Makoto was smiling his beatific smile. Haru had to look away again. 

He felt arms enfold him from behind, and one of Makoto’s gentle hands touched his face, tilting his chin up before kissing him softly between his eyes.

Haru’s eyes glittered, staring up at Makoto, speechless. Makoto smiled down at him before carefully running a thumb over Haru’s jaw and kissing his temple.  
Haru turned in his arms, and buried his head in Makoto’s neck, breathing in his scent, before kissing along his neck, running his tongue over Makoto’s jumping pulse. He felt Makoto’s breath hitch, before Makoto suddenly pulled away.  
His green eyes were sparkling in the lantern light, he was flushed and panting, staring at Haru like he wanted to consume him.

Haru leapt at him, knocking him back onto the grassy slope, smothering Makoto’s mouth with his own. His tongue swiped over Makoto’s lips feeling along the ridges of Makoto’s teeth, his hands were pulling at Makoto’s shirt. He belatedly noticed Makoto’s hands had buried themselves in his hair.

Feeling up underneath Makoto’s shirt, he felt Makoto’s torso shudder under him as he bit softly on Makoto’s lower lip. He sucked and worried it, running his hands over Makoto’s waist. Makoto groaned into his mouth, his voice low, pulling Haru’s head closer. Haru felt Makoto’s erection through his trousers pushing against his thigh. He could feel his own brushing against Makoto’s stomach – he drove his tongue into Makoto’s mouth harder, grinding his hips down. With a gasp, Makoto pushed him off.

“Haru, we can’t – we can’t do this here!” Haru had never heard Makoto’s voice sound like that – low and raspy, it made him want to rip his clothes off right then and there. Makoto’s hair was a mess, his lips red and swollen and his shirt half undone. Haru was panting hard, but he reigned himself in and nodded.   
“My parents aren’t home. Let’s go.” Before grabbing Makoto’s hand and half-walking, half-running home.


End file.
